Stages
by DetectiveLion
Summary: Love, for them, happens in stages. First as a dream, then sleepwalking, then while awake, and then in a nightmare. ((AKA I attempt to follow a prompt and fail and the summary is much more dramatic than the story it advertises))


**_Stages_**

 _It happens in stages. First a dream, then sleepwalking, then awake, and then a nightmare._

 **Dream**

There is a certain quiet to the day. People pass in blurs, faces Bruce doesn't see or care about, bodies that form an aisle for him to walk through step by step until he reaches the man at the end of it. Tony turns and smiles and it's stunningly brilliant, enough to make Bruce stop in his tracks and gaze into those brown eyes.

Suddenly they're walking together, Tony's fingers laced in his own. He doesn't know what Tony says but it makes him laugh, makes his chest glow until he's pulling Tony closer and hugging him tight. There's no one to see him smile, they're alone and there's sand beneath their feet and water lapping at their toes. The air smells of brine.

He kisses Tony there, and isn't sure if the roaring in his ears is his blood or the waves.

Bruce's eyes lifted to darkness. He blinked slowly, pushing himself upright, blankets falling to his waist. The sound of waves was muffled through the walls as he got to his feet, teetered on his toes, and strode to the window. The curtains pulled back to reveal stars and the faintest outline of the sea. A wave rose up before collapsing, throwing itself onto the shore and then melting back into the ocean.

He let the curtain fall back into place. Bruce stepped backwards, almost falling into bed and tugging the blankets around him, half hoping he could find the last traces of his dream if he fell asleep fast enough.

 **Sleepwalking**

Bruce was a ghost in his house. He appeared briefly in the mornings and evenings, to say good morning and good night, and vanished during the day. For a week Tony allowed it before he woke up early and cornered Bruce as he was walking out his door. He found his prey on the Helicarrier, caught it outside its nest, and dragged it down to his own den to play, like a cat with a bird.

The bird in question didn't seem to mind the den once he'd seen it. There was nothing like a homemade particle accelerator to appeal to the desires of a scientist.

When plates began to appear while he worked, he assumed it had been Pepper's doing. He'd grinned at her the first time, wiggling the empty plate and giving a "Thanks, Pep," in passing, didn't note her dubious look or the raised eyebrows at Bruce or Bruce's own smile-and-shrug. It was the same way he didn't realize how Pepper would vanish for a couple of days after every mission, and didn't realize when banter became arguments. He didn't see her dismay when Steve got shut in the shoulder one day and Tony began rebuilding suits the next.

He didn't see any of it until she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a quiet goodbye and then was gone for good.

Bruce joined him at the bar a few hours later, when Tony was halfway through a bottle and still downing shots. He was pleased at the utter lack of guilt he felt when he saw the disappointment in those brown eyes. A grin flashed itself at Bruce before he tipped the next shot into his mouth. When he reached to refill the glass, a hand caught his wrist. He jerked his hand away, face hardening somewhat. This time nothing kept Tony from pouring the glass and he relished it sliding down his throat.

"Does this make you feel better?" Bruce's words were tired, resigned.

Tony answered with a shrug and, "Only while I'm drunk. Drunk enough. I'm not drunk enough right now." His fingers found the bottle again, but he hesitated to take it. He looked back at Bruce, finally feeling a hint of shame and letting his shoulders creep upwards.

He lifted a hand, and Tony cringed slightly when it landed on his shoulder. But instead of grabbing him tight or pulling him away, it slid down his back and rested there. His heart squeezed and his fingers gripped the bottle's neck tight, Bruce's touch burning through his shirt. Tony kept his eyes on the bar, now reluctant to meet his friend's eyes. When the doctor spoke, it was soft. "You're going to regret this in the morning, you know."

"I regret a lot of things. A headache isn't going to kill me."

The fingers on his back never moved. "And if I asked you to quit drinking?"

Tony's answer was to fill another glass. His hands shook when he drank it.

Bruce sat beside him, never speaking, his thumb stroking over the back of Tony's neck as he waited. When Tony's cheeks were wet and his hands trembled so he couldn't hold his glass, Bruce pulled the bottle away and pulled his friend to his feet. In the elevator Tony slumped against him, hands fisting in his shirt and gasping into his shoulder.

Bruce Banner was not a man known for his strength. The Hulk laid all claim to physical prowess, yet there wasn't a hint of green when he lifted Tony up and carried him to his room. He couldn't bring himself to fight when the other man set him down in his bed, pushed him into the pillows and pulled blankets up around him. JARVIS dimmed the lights. Outside the window he could see the moon, round and full and shining down on the ocean below the cliffs.

He didn't resist until Bruce tried to pull away; that was when he reached for the man, found his hand and clung to it. His vision was blurred and he could hardly see in the dark, but something in the doctor's face seemed to soften, and that was the image burned into Tony's mind when he fell asleep at last.

 **Awake**

There was always a sinking feeling when a Code Green was called. It came in the form of Cap's voice over the coms, harried enough that Bruce knew he couldn't protest. He plucked at the buttons of his shirt, tossing it to the ground as he stepped to the edge of the quinjet.

" _You're clear,"_ came Tony's voice. " _No civilians in sight. See you in a bit, Banner."_

If nothing else, that was the one thing he could be assured of. Someone was always there when he came to, with promise of clean clothes and a bed as soon as he crawled out of the rubble. And more often than not, the promises were Tony's.

He took a breath and jumped, savoring the fall before Hulk tore free.

The sky was dark when he came to. The feeling of crumbled asphalt was familiar as he rolled onto his side. Step one was always to make sure he had pants. Today he did, though they were even more shredded than usual, with just enough scraps to ensure his modesty. Step two was to survey the scene. Still in New York, by the looks of it. When he rose to his feet, he could see the glow of the Avengers Tower in the distance.

He glanced around, mouth already open to ask 'How much damage?' The words died before he could speak as he finally realized he was alone.

His heart squeezed, first with the thought of _why would they leave me alone_ and then even tighter as he wondered _why aren't they here?_ Bruce was crawling out of the crater seconds later, ignoring the rocks biting into his skin. One hand kept his pants in place once he was at the top, the next reaching for his ear. It wasn't a surprise when he found the communicator was gone. SHIELD had an entire supply with his name on it, as Code Greens nearly always ended up with the current one lost and likely broken.

"Bruce? Bruce!"

It was faint, but there, a shout echoing over the streets. He lifted his head, staring into the dark. "Steve?"

He caught the flash of light and looked up in time to see Iron Man flying down. The suit twisted, arms and legs pointing down until the repulsors lowered him to the ground and finally died. The faceplate folded up as he made his way over to Bruce, catching the man before he could collapse.

"Found him," Tony was saying. "He's beat. I'm taking him back to the Tower." The words were enough to make Bruce fall into a familiar position, keeping and arm around Tony's neck and letting the other man do the rest. Flight was never smooth when Iron Man had a passenger, but tonight Bruce couldn't protest.

Iron Man dropped him off in the front room, vanishing long enough for the suit to be dismantled before joining the doctor. The couch sank beneath Tony's weight, but Bruce barely twitched. His brain felt sluggish, muscles losing their will to work. Post-Hulk times were strange. His mind felt like an ocean, simultaneously calm and in turmoil. He could feel each wave, terror quaking through his limbs before apathy could swallow it up.

There was an arm around his shoulders. At first he cringed away, nerves sparking beneath the touch. Then his body remembered it was a good thing and his body loosened, letting him slump against Tony. The tremors were cold, but Tony was warm, so he burrowed in close to his side and tried not to think.

"The Team's alright," Tony said. "We couldn't get to you in time. Big Green was chasing the last few bots while we went after Doom. And he _still_ got away." The grumpiness in his tone made Bruce huff with laughter. It was quick to fade.

Tony shifted, the arm slipping down to his waist to keep him close. "By the way. Natasha warned us that you might be a bit… She said it would be odd for you to wake up alone. You alright?"

He kept his eyes closed, not responding for a moment. Then, slowly, he made himself nod. The movement was dizzying.

"Seriously, you alright?" There were fingers on his face and it didn't feel too bad at all. Bruce let his eyelids lift, gazing blearily at Tony. Their faces were so much closer than when he'd closed his eyes, and there was actual concern in Tony's face. Not are-you-going-to-Hulk-out kind of concern that he was all too familiar with, but a legitimate worry for Bruce's well-being that made him smile and left his heart fluttering.

He could never think straight after the Other Guy came out. And Tony was right there, like right in front of his face and caring about him in a way he hadn't felt in years. So he kissed Tony Stark.

He fell onto the cushions only seconds later. Bruce pushed himself up and watched Tony stride into an elevator, not even glancing back when the doors slid shut.

 **Nightmare**

Bruce seemed to agree with Tony's plan of 'if we pretend nothing happened then nothing happened.' At the very least, he hadn't said anything since Tony strode into his bedroom with a plate full of eggs and a heart full of guilt. Only once, he started a sentence with that hesitant "Tony…" that was saved for when sensitive topics came up. He'd effectively cut in with a proposal for a Hulk-resistant communicator and they never brought up the subject again.

No one was going to bring up the subject of 'Bruce Banner' 'Tony Stark' and 'kissing.' It. Didn't. Happen. For both their sakes, because when Bruce's lips touched his own Tony's elation had been crushed by the memory of tears in Pepper's eyes and the devastation behind them.

Tony Stark was a man who damaged everything he came into contact with. He wasn't going to do that to Bruce.

So they were fine. A week went by, then two, and a full month had passed without anything really going wrong. He pretended not to notice the new skittishness Bruce held around him.

"Hand me that drill," he said once. A thunk caught his attention, and he realized that Bruce had set it down beside him. He stared at it for a moment before clearing his throat and returning to his work. There would be flukes, he reminded himself. Bruce would come to his senses soon enough.

" _Sir, there is an urgent call from Agent Coulson."_ Both he and Bruce glanced up from their work. " _He says Doctor Banner will be needed in the field today. There are what appear to be mutated animals in the city, giving off large amounts of gamma radiation. Citizen evacuation is already in process, but he was quite insistent that you 'suit up' immediately."_

They met with the others in the hangar, Clint already at the quinjet's controls when Tony took a seat beside him.

"Everyone in?" Barton asked, but the engines were already whirring. "Sounds like we need Jade Jaws this round, Banner."

"I heard." There was dry resignation to Bruce's voice. "You brought emergency pants?"

"I think at this point we have five pairs in here at all times." There's a small ripple of amusement before they dip down towards the streets and see the wreckage before them.

'Mutant' was the only way to describe the creatures below them. Most of them resembled cats and dogs, if household pets were also five feet tall with scraggly fur, nails like talons and greenish drool spilling from their jaws. They didn't seem to have a particular goal in mind, prowling around the streets with their noses in the air or to the ground, likely in search of people to hunt.

"Coulson said they're gamma irradiated?" Steve's voice broke their silence.

Bruce nodded, looking strangely businesslike for someone who was only wearing yoga pants. "Which is why Clint and Natasha need to stay in the jet." He overrode their protests sharply. "Coulson said they are _emitting_ gamma. The Other Guy is able to contain it and use it like an energy source, but these things are actually giving off radiation. Chances are they'll die on their own in due time, as soon as malignant cells reach something essential. Tony's armor will protect him, and Steven and Thor have natural resistance. I don't think I need to explain myself, but you two have no protection." His face was stern. "Radiation poisoning could be the least of our problems depending on just what these creatures are made from."

They were quiet. Then Steve spoke up with, "You heard the doctor. Hawkeye and Widow are to remain in the quinjet and assist us from a distance. I think the best plan is for Iron Man and I to round up the monsters and let Hulk and Thor take care of them. Sound good?"

Tony had to agree, if only begrudgingly. He was the first to leave, followed by Thor while the jet lowered enough for Steve and Bruce to jump out safely. He turned long enough to watch his friend's body ripple and contort, already running to greet the gamma monsters as the Hulk took his place.

The job ended up being easier than expected. The creatures seemed to have a one-track mindset of 'follow the shiny flying man' and soon enough he had an entire pack of radioactive cats on his tail.

"Think Hulk would like a pet?" He smirked, twisting around to fire a blast at one of the creatures. It fell to the ground, then got up and shook itself before joining its companions in their pursuit.

" _Judging by what he's doing to those things, I really don't think he'd play a conventional game of 'fetch.'"_ Hawkeye's voice was amused. A moment later, it turned sour. " _Hang on, shit. What the hell is this?"_

" _What's going on? Hawkeye?"_

" _Bullshit is what's going on, Cap. The army's on their way."_

Tony didn't stall in his flight, but hissed out a curse. "And what does the army think they can do with these things?"

Natasha was to one to answer. " _Think, Stark. Who specializes in radioactive threats?"_

This time, Tony wasn't the only one to curse. "Anyone have eyes on Hulk?"

" _I haven't seen him since he intercepted the last wave. Hawkeye, Widow?"_

" _His com's cut out a while back, Hawkeye says he hasn't appeared in a while."_

" _I have not encountered the doctor's berserker for some time."_

"Okay. Thor, I need you to take these guys for me. I'm gonna find Jolly Green."

JARVIS warned Tony just in time. He let himself stall and then shot backwards, shutting his eyes against a flash of lightning. When he opened them, half the pack had collapsed and the rest were falling beneath Thor's hammer.

He pulled up, above the city, eyes scanning the ground for a flash of green. There was nothing, not even a crater to search. He saw machines rolling in, going tense when he recognized the design. They weren't his old Hulkbusters, but certainly a modified design. Even as he watched, he could see the heads of the machines turning, blasting a light at the monsters that left them collapsing on the streets.

He remained hovering over them. Nothing was big enough to hold the Hulk. "Call Coulson," he managed. "Or Fury, Hill, whatever. Get them to search every one of those machines."

" _Already have them on the phone."_ Hawkeye's voice was grim.

The army cleaned up the rest of the monsters with suspicious swiftness, disabling them and loading them into cages before SHIELD could even arrive. Tony felt a savage sort of pleasure when Phil Coulson pulled up in a sleek, black car, face promising that somebody was going to have hell to pay. He was no soldier, but the uniformed men parted for Coulson like the red sea for Moses.

Tony landed beside the rest of the Avengers, the tension between them crackling in the air. For Thor it was quite literal-Tony could feel his hair stand up when he got too close to the god. With Steve in the lead, they followed Coulson, and not a single person came to stop them.

He heard Natasha _growl_ when they caught sight of the general. White hair and an obnoxious moustache were trademarks of Thaddeus Ross.

"-appreciate your efforts," Coulson was saying, in his falsely-polite tone of voice, "but you did not have jurisdiction to interfere in this battle."

Ross's voice was similar, but it made Tony's gut twist in disgust when he spoke. "I specialize in dealing with monsters of this caliber," he said, " _and_ those much worse." Clint grabbed Natasha's arm at the same time Steve took Thor's and Tony's. He could tell by the Captain's grip that he was just as furious as the rest of them.

"Regardless of your specialty, law states that once a threat is passed on to SHIELD, it is SHIELD's duty _alone_ to negate it until ordered otherwise. Your interference may have severe consequences, General. These units are now in SHIELD custody until further inspection." The final words were barked at his own agents, who swarmed forward to steer the soldiers away and began loading into the machines.

Ross didn't say a word of protest, only matching Coulson's gaze. "Moving on," the agent continued, "you mentioned the 'other' threats you've dealt with. I will remind you that Bruce Banner is also under SHIELD custody, and that assault or battery against him will be dealt with severely."

The General didn't balk. "Understood," he said, voice level. "I can assure you that there is no reason for concern."

When the army is finally shooed away, Coulson pulls the Avengers aside and informs them to absolutely no one's surprise that it was all complete bullshit.

"Find Banner," he told them. "But be efficient. SHIELD's already on rocky grounds, if you go after General Ross and Banner's not there, we may not be able to get him back at all."

* * *

They find Bruce.

It took about an hour before the quinjet pinpoints a lone van heading down the road-the road which was supposed to be blocked off for Essential Avengers Business. All it took was getting Thor close enough to tear the doors off and heave the driver a few yards away. They opened the back seat and find a very drugged up but otherwise unharmed Bruce.

He came to while SHIELD agents handcuffed the driver and his assistant. Tony was at his side in an instant, a hand at his shoulder and explaining the situation in a low murmur. Without the constant stream of drugs, Bruce's body made quick work of the sedative and he's on his feet in just a few minutes, though still groggy.

"Well Ross fucked up spectacularly," Tony commented, once they were back in the Tower. "Congratulations, we're now several steps closer to throwing his ass in jail. Or in the ocean, whichever comes first." Bruce huffed with laughter. The speed of his recovery made Tony wonder how many times he'd been kidnapped.

They fell silent, and Tony was left staring at Bruce. It took the doctor a few moments to notice, glancing back at him with such a startled face that Tony had to grin. He reached out to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him into a hug.

"Thanks," Bruce murmured into his shoulder. "For coming to get me."

"According to Pepper, you make up about ninety percent of my self preservation and impulse control now. So yeah, I was gonna get you."

"Definitely not going to argue with that." They exchange smiles. It makes Tony feel warm and glowy in a way that has nothing to do with the arc reactor. He was struck with an urge that he had to wrangle into submission, even as his will to do so was fading fast.

It hadn't even been a close call. One hour and Bruce was back. They had barely even made it out of the city, but Tony could still feel the terror of loss.

So he decides to just say what the fuck about the whole thing. "Speaking of my impulse control," Tony started, "you're gonna want to start exercising that again. Like, now. You're awesome and we can do science together and after you got kidnapped I'm ready to be selfish again. Martyr complexes are really getting old. Plus I'm not hung up over Pepper anymore so I can actually do this."

Bruce's mouth is forming a question when Tony kisses him. Their lips slide together for a moment before he pulls back, grins, and does it again.


End file.
